


Dancing to Forget

by thecompletebookworm



Series: Rumbelle Showdown [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Ballet AU, Choreographer! Gold, Dancer! Belle, Rumbelle Showdown 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 16:23:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14405934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecompletebookworm/pseuds/thecompletebookworm
Summary: Prompts: Bacon, Dance academy, We’re all just storiesBelle's dance company is set to put on Gold's latest masterpiece.  Sometimes you shouldn't meet your heroes and you definitely shouldn't kiss them on opening night.





	Dancing to Forget

Belle tried to calm her nerves, wiping her hands on the edge of her tutu.  She turned on the music.  Dancing was her way to forget and she definitely needed to forget right now.  Her movements could be precise even if she felt like her world was in chaos.   It had always been there for her, especially after her mother’s death when it felt like nothing else was.   

Belle turned on the music, hoping the joyful beat would stop the feeling of emptiness.  She shook her head.   That didn’t matter right now.  Belle was not going to let her heartbreak stop her from finally meeting her dreams.  

From first position to relevé to chassé to arabesque, each movement seemed to blend into the other. Belle could count on her feet to know the next step without having to think about them, which was a relief because Belle couldn’t keep her mind on the dancing.

She’d always like to dance, but after Colette’s cancer it had changed from a hobby to a coping method.  When she danced, it felt like her mother was here with her.   Papa had been nervous at first, the long hours at the studio, the high tuition prices, and the decision to stop eating some of her favorite foods.  After a while, he had thought she was going mad with grief, especially when she wouldn’t even eat a single piece of bacon.  But it had been worth it in the end.  The Storybrooke Ballet had been her dream ever since she had watched her mother dance there.  Tonight she would accomplish everything she had hoped for. The press had been camped outside for weeks trying to be the first to get the inside scoop on Rafael Gold’s newest masterpiece.

When the auditions for Beauty and the Beast began, Belle hadn’t known what to expect.  She grew up in awe of Gold who had taken the dance world by storm, first as a dancer, and then after his knee gave out as an unmatchable choreographer.  His ideas were daring and unique, while still being refined and traditional.  It was a balance that meant any company under his leadership would be unparalleled.

Still, Belle had hoped, as she took her place at the bar, wearing her luckiest leotard and a fake smile of confidence, that things might just work out in her favor.  If nothing else she was smaller than most of the other girls in the company, which was better for lifts.

Belle bit her lip in shock when she saw him to keep from making a noise of surprise.  The first thing she noticed was that Gold was much shorter than she had expected, only slightly taller than her.  The second was that he was much handsomer than she had imagined.  His gray-streaked hair curtained his face, making his inquisitive brown eyes stand out all the better.  Belle forced herself to look straight ahead. She was a professional, not some giggling schoolgirl.  

“If any of you think this is going to be easy, you might as well leave now.  I have no patience for whiners.”

Belle was not surprised when no one left.

Gold gave a smirk, “Just remember, this was your decision. You chose to stay.”

That afternoon had been one of the most grueling of Belle’s life.  Gold was a whirlwind, pushing them from one exercise to the next, while giving no room to breathe or any insight on what anything was supposed to mean.  Everything was beginning to hurt and by the forth hour it felt like her feet were going to give out.  There was still no end in sight.

Belle hadn’t planned on confronting their new choreographer on the first day, especially when they didn’t have roles yet, but the words slipped out as he told them to begin the combination again.  “Is your plan to kill the entire company?  Because I’m not sure what else you’re trying to do.”

Gold seemed merely amused by her, not angry. “What’s your name?”

“Belle-”

He interrupted her, wagging a finger at her warningly with a stupid smirk on his face. “Cocky, aren’t we dearie?”

Belle had never hated her name more than right then; she could already feel all the other jokes that Gold would make at her expense.  “My name is Belle French, and you would have known that if you had just let me finish.” She steadied her gaze on him.  “I just mean, we’re exhausted, dehydrated and have been running the same combination for an hour at least.  We need a break.”  

“I have what I need.”  A crooked smile crossed Gold’s face.  “You’re all free to go.”

Belle hadn’t been able to stop the sinking feeling in her stomach, as she walked out of that room, but all her worrying would be for nothing.  It would be her name listed at the very top.  

Realizing the music had ended, Belle pulled herself out of memory lane.  Gold had been an ass then.  Still was an ass, maybe, if their conversation in the dressing room had been the truth, if she was  _just_  another dancer to him, that what they had  _really_  meant nothing.  He was lying; he had to be.

All the late hours they had spent in the studio just talking, because he had already deemed her perfect on the day’s material hadn’t felt like nothing.  She remembered the exact look on his face when he admitted how much he admired her spunk on that first day.  All the times Gold found excuses to take her out for lunch didn’t feel like nothing, even though they had both been very careful not to call it a date.  Every time he touched her, even if it was just a gentle straitening of her arm or the grazing of fingertips as he passed her a water bottle, was electric and sensual.

Still, despite that connection, Gold had pushed her away when she kissed him, insisting that she was only interested in the idea of him, the story not the man.   So here she was, on what could be the biggest night of her career, fretting over her love life.  It would be funny if it didn’t hurt so much.

“Belle.” He whispered her name like it was a prayer.

She couldn’t stop her heart from leaping into her throat when she saw him.  

“I’m sorry I-”

“If you’re just saying that because I might ruin your performance, I’m-”

“I swear,” He grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  “I’m saying it because I love you too, and I couldn’t believe that…” He trailed off, but Belle understood.

Rising to the tips of her toes so she could reach, she kissed him and this time he did not pull away.


End file.
